1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape cartridge, and more particularly to a tape cartridge of the type wherein a leader pin is attached to an end of a tape wound on a reel and is caught and fed out, when the tape cartridge is loaded into a tape drive apparatus, from the tape cartridge so that the tape is threaded to a driving reel of the tape drive apparatus side and is fed along a predetermined path by the driving reel.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of storage media for an electronic computer, a single reel cartridge magnetic tape is used. The magnetic tape of the type mentioned is wound on a core of a reel supported in a cartridge case for rotation with respect to the case with one end thereof secured to the core, and the other end portion of the magnetic tape is fed out from the cartridge case when the reel rotates.
The cartridge is loaded into a magnetic tape drive apparatus. In the magnetic tape drive apparatus, rotational driving force from a drive motor (reel motor) of the drive apparatus can be transmitted to the cartridge reel by a cartridge fitting mechanism. In order to form the cartridge fitting mechanism, on the cartridge side, a face-type gear (reel face gear) is provided on the reel such that it is exposed to an outer face of the case, and on the drive apparatus side, a face-type drive gear (drive face gear) for receiving transmission of rotating force from the reel motor is disposed such that the reel face gear and the drive face gear are disengageably engaged with each other.
In such a magnetic tape cartridge as described above, a pin called leader pin is attached to an end edge of the magnet tape fed out from the cartridge case. Where the entire magnetic tape is rewound and accommodated in the cartridge case, the leader pin is held by a leader pin holder provided at a predetermined position in the cartridge case. The leader pin holder is provided in the proximity of an aperture formed in a side face (end face) of the cartridge case. The aperture is closed up with a door, and upon a loading operation of the cartridge case into the drive apparatus, the door is opened in a predetermined direction to open the aperture thereby to allow accessing from the drive apparatus side through the aperture.
Such accessing as just mentioned is performed by a tape threading mechanism disposed on the drive apparatus side. The tape threading mechanism operates a leader block of a component thereof to approach and catch the leader pin and takes out the leader pin from the cartridge case together with the leader block and then threads the tape along a predetermined path passing the tape in the proximity of a magnetic head for recording and reproduction (tape threading). An end of the leader pin is introduced to a reel (machine reel) of the drive apparatus side, and the machine reel is rotated by a drive mechanism of the drive apparatus side to take up the tape.
Such a magnetic tape cartridge of the single reel type and a tape threading mechanism as described above are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-331403 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-135003.
For such a leader pin taking out operation by the leader block of the tape threading apparatus as described above, the leader pin holder is preferably disposed at a predetermined position in the drive apparatus as near as possible to the leader block.
Incidentally, in recent years, it is demanded to form a chamfered portion on a tape cartridge in such a shape that the tape cartridge is cut away at a corner portion of an end thereof. The cartridge has an aperture formed in the case thereof at the chamfered portion, and the leader pin holder is positioned in the proximity of the aperture. Accordingly, the leader pin is positioned farther from the side end face of the case than that of a conventional rectangular-shaped cartridge which has no chamfered portion. Therefore, a drive apparatus used for a conventional rectangularly shaped cartridge cannot be applied as it is to a cartridge on which the chamfered portion is formed.
Meanwhile, in order to raise the degree of freedom in designing of the drive apparatus side, it is preferable that, upon tape threading, the drive apparatus can perform an operation for taking out the leader pin from the tape cartridge positioned at a predetermined position in the drive apparatus by means of the leader block even from a position spaced by a comparatively great distance from the cartridge case.
While the foregoing description relates to a tape in the form of a magnetic tape, such a technical subject as described above is applicable also to an information recording medium tape other than a magnetic tape or any other tape which is used repetitively.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tape cartridge which allows tape threading to be performed using a drive apparatus for use with a conventional cartridge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tape cartridge which allows taking out of a leader pin thereof even if a leader block for engaging with the leader pin is not positioned very near to a case of the cartridge loaded at a predetermined position of a drive apparatus for a tape cartridge.
In order to attain the object described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a tape cartridge, comprising a cartridge case, a cartridge reel disposed for rotation in the cartridge case, a tape wound on the cartridge reel, a leader pin attached to an end of the tape, a leader pin holder for holding the leader pin, the cartridge case having an aperture for permitting passage of the tape therethrough, the leader pin holder being movable between a closing position at which the leader pinholder closes at least part of the aperture of the cartridge case and an open position at which the leader pin holder opens at least part of the aperture, and means for exerting biasing force to act upon the leader pin holder toward the closing position, the leader pin holder being pivoted toward the open position against the biasing force to open at least part of the aperture through engagement thereof with a tape drive apparatus when the tape cartridge is loaded into the tape drive apparatus.
The tape cartridge may be configured such that the leader pin holder has a lever portion, and the cartridge case has an opening formed therein for allowing the lever portion of the leader pin holder and an engaging projection of the tape drive apparatus to engage with each other thereby to open at least part of the aperture.
The tape cartridge may further comprise a door mounted on the cartridge case for back and forth movement between a closing position at which the door closes part of the aperture and an open position at which the door opens part of the aperture, and door biasing means for exerting biasing force to act upon the door toward the closing position, the door being moved toward the open position against the biasing force to open part of the aperture through engagement thereof with the tape drive apparatus when the tape cartridge is loaded into the tape drive apparatus.
In this instance, the tape cartridge may further comprise a reel locking mechanism for blocking rotation of the cartridge reel with respect to the cartridge case, the reel locking mechanism including a locking pad disposed in a projecting manner for retreating movement from a reel face gear formed at a portion of the cartridge reel which is exposed from the cartridge case and a locking member disposed under biasing force to project toward the locking pad and blocked from pivotal motion with respect to the cartridge case, the locking member engaging with the cartridge reel to block rotation of the cartridge reel when the locking pad is projected from the reel face gear, the locking member being disengaged from the cartridge reel to permit rotation of the cartridge reel when the locking pad is retracted from the reel face gear, the reel locking mechanism including an unlocking control mechanism which includes a lever member mounted on the cartridge case for pivotal motion between a first pivotal position and a second pivotal position with respect to the cartridge case, the lever member keeping, when the lever member is at the first pivotal position, the locking member so as to block the retreating movement of the locking pad whereas the lever member keeps, when the lever member is at the second pivotal position, the locking member so as to permit the retreating movement of the locking pad, the lever member being engaged at an end thereof with the door such that the lever member is positioned at the first pivotal position when the door is at the closing position but is positioned at the second pivotal position when the door is at the open position.
Alternatively, the tape cartridge may further comprise a door mounted on the cartridge case for back and forth movement between a closing position at which the door closes part of the aperture and an open position at which the door opens part of the aperture, door biasing means for exerting biasing force to act upon the door toward the closing position, the door being moved toward the open position against the biasing force to open part of the aperture through engagement thereof with the tape drive apparatus when the tape cartridge is loaded into the tape drive apparatus, and a relaying member for engaging with the door and the leader pin holder such that, when the door moves from the closing position to the open position, the relaying member moves the leader pin holder toward the open position against the biasing force thereby to open at least part of the aperture.
In this instance, the tape cartridge may be configured such that the door has a cam at a portion thereof at which the door engages with the relaying member, and the relaying member is mounted for pivotal motion on the cartridge case and has a first contacting portion for contacting with the cam of the door and a second contacting portion for contacting with the leader pin holder such that the second contacting portion is acted upon by pivoting force originating from the biasing force from the leader pin holder, whereupon the first contacting portion is pressed toward the door by the pivoting force. The second contacting portion of the relaying member may have flexibility.
The aperture may be formed in an end face at a corner portion on the front side of the cartridge case with respect to an insertion direction of the tape cartridge into the tape drive apparatus. The corner portion of the cartridge case at which the aperture may be formed is formed as a chamfered portion of a cutaway shape, and the leader pin holder may be positioned so as to close principally a portion of the aperture corresponding to the chamfered portion.
The leader pin holder may have two slots for accommodating the opposite ends of the leader pin.
The tape cartridge may further comprise a reel locking mechanism for blocking rotation of the cartridge reel with respect to the cartridge case, the reel locking mechanism including a locking pad disposed in a projecting manner for retreating movement from a reel face gear formed at a portion of the cartridge reel which is exposed from the cartridge case and a locking member disposed under biasing force to project toward the locking pad and blocked from pivotal motion with respect to the cartridge case, the locking member engaging with the cartridge reel to block rotation of the cartridge reel when the locking pad is projected from the reel face gear, the locking member being disengaged from the cartridge reel to permit rotation of the cartridge reel when the locking pad is retracted from the reel face gear.
The tape cartridge is advantageous in that it allows tape threading to be performed using a drive apparatus same as a drive apparatus for a conventional cartridge. The tape cartridge is further advantageous in that it allows taking out of the leader pin without making a leader block for engagement with the leader pin approach the case of the tape cartridge loaded at a predetermined position of the drive apparatus very much.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference symbols.